Warriors: Zen's story: Night Can be Deadly
by kululupuppy
Summary: A young kittypet, Zenopolistic, finds her life changed forever when she gets into a bad "monster-crash." Saved by Rowanclan's medicine cat, Dreamflower, Zen finds herself thrown into forest where wild cats live in large groups called clans. Unable to leave, Zen must learn Rowanclan's ways and fight for survival in this tense land.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Blood; It's everywhere. It's shiny redness slick on the black ground. It glows around the vision of my eyes, creeping both forward and away. It just keeps oozing everywhere.

There's also smoke and fire. I see it outside of my peripheral vision. Its red flames lick at the sky from within the "vehicle" (That's what I learned what my house-folk called it.) I was in inside it a few minutes ago. Grey smoke entwines around it, dancing into the evening air. It's like watching two who love each other hold on as hard as they can even though they will eventually have to draw apart. Both won't die out until one dies. How romantic.

All I can do is lie here. I'm winded and my vision is growing fuzzier by the minute. I don't know how long until I can pull myself together - That is if I don't die right now.

The thought of passing away right now sounds more peaceful than it should. In those short moments I learned that when something happens to you, all you can do is accept it right there and then. You wait, the depths of your mind saying, "Bring it on!" - Especially when near death. It's like each time you're near death, your taunting it; challenging it.

Though, if I had known getting into that vehicle would come to this, I wouldn't have even stepped into it. Not even if the house-folk kit had lured me over with kibble or started to wail if I didn't come in. I never wanted to challenge or taunt death. All I have ever wanted was to continue blindly on in life; even if it meant the only excitement I ever got was when someone brought out the "feather-stick" or the "still-mouse" or was let outside to enjoy the weather.

I feel tears begin to well up in my eyes. I'm so numb I don't feel the pain. That isn't exactly what's bothering me though. The problem is that physical numbness doesn't numb your mind. It only makes you think more.

Why can't I die now and just see what comes next? It won't be so harsh when I close my eyes and let darkness come over. I'm calm and willing. All of this nothingness is too bothering for me. Either I get saved now or simply die. I desperately want this moment to end! It may have only been a couple of heartbeats, but it's felt like ages. I can't wait any longer.

I understand that I'm a young cat. I had my entire happy life ahead of me. I'd cry out with annoyance if I could. But one simple thought clouds my mind. What if all of this chaos happened to propel me into a world where everything is good?

That's when my mind cascaded into an even more blank state. I feel too tired to think now. The smoke, fire, road, and forest edge begin to blur together. I close my eyes and let out the final tears. This is it. My life is over.

But when I open my eyes back up I see a white smudge appear near the forest's edge. My vision is still fuzzy, but I can see gold orbs flicker from where the thing's face should be. It begins to pick its way through the rubble towards me and for some reason I know it's one of my kind – a cat. I feel calmer about the situation the closer it gets.

My vision blurs more as I relax and I feel my eye lids slowly fall. The white blob cat opens up a gaping mouth to speak to me, but I can't understand what its saying. Now it's nudging me and I go fully blank. All I can see is darkness and shadow now. Nothing more comes when I fall into a deep sleep.

"Hey,"

I hear a voice as my eyes begin to flicker open. My vision is blurry and I can't tell where I am. The vehicle, flames, and the white blob of a cat feel like a dream and I'm beginning to think that my hunch is correct. I must still be in my house-folk's nest.

"Wake up."

The sudden realization that the voice was "meowing" made my dreams of being in my house-folk's nest fall apart. I jolt up, my now clear eyes scanning my surroundings. Morning light sweeps into a "den-like" place. Thick brambles seem to contain most of the area, but a few nettle leaves poke through at the other end of the den. Something tells me that the nettles are the exit to this place.

Pain soars through my stiff body as I try to get up from the nest I was laying in. I soon begin take it more slow, still forcing my way through the pain to prop myself up better. I feel a paw from behind push me back down.

"You should not get up that fast. Your wounds are still fresh." A sweet but steadily stern voice mews. A she-cat pads around from my side, rubbing her body against my shoulder as she comes into view.

I didn't have to look twice before recognizing the she-cat as the white one by the forest edge. A twinge of jealousy hits me as I take in her beauty; pure white and silky fur with bright gold eyes – brighter than mine. Her paws were small and delicate, making me feel as if I could easily take her down in a fight. However, the lean muscles beneath her pelt made me think otherwise.

"Where am I?" I immediately think aloud, my tail flicking anxiously. The tone my voice comes out raspy and it startles me at first.

"You are in Rowanclan's camp – in the forest. I believe you could say that you are also in my den." She replies simply. "My name is Dreamflower and I am Rowanclan's medicine cat."

I tilt my head, generally confused. What is Rowanclan? And what kind of cat chooses to live in the forest? She has to be talking about a garden! Or near a forest edge by her house-folk's nest! At least she introduced her name. I also don't have to blame her for the strange name for mine is even stranger. Zenopolistic… It's actually more embarrassing.

"What do you mean?" I finally mew unsteadily and a little shriller than I wanted it to.

"Well, you see -." Dreamflower began. She was instantly cut off as a new cat entered the den.

"She would _never_ understand. She's a kittypet; used to being cared by her two-legs. Her claws have never felt the victory of battle nor has her fangs sunken into mouth-watering prey." The new cat spoke in a harsh tone. Her dark brown fur was bristled and uneven. I couldn't help but notice a fresh scar beneath the fur on her shoulder. And even though she was speaking to Dreamflower, she was obviously glaring directly at me with each word. "Don't even try, Dreamflower. It's not worth the time of your day."

"Dogfrost don't be so-." Dreamflower once again was cut off and I instantly regretted being the one to do so.

"Rowanclan, forest, medicine cat, kittypet, two-legs?" I repeated all of the unfamiliar words dumbly. My mind couldn't process any of them accept for the word forest (I was mentioned about it here and there by neighboring cats.). Also, did they mean to refer to me and my house-folk? "I don't understand what you two are talking about."

Two toms, a tortoiseshell furred one and brown tabby, then came into the den. It was beginning to get too crowded for my liking and I felt like clawing this Dogfrost's face off for continuing to glare at me like I was some… Some… I don't know. I've always despised rude felines.

"Dogfrost, I would like you to join Birchstripe's border patrol. I would like to have a few words with the kittypet and Dreamflower." The tortoiseshell tom said calmly.

"But, Foreststar," Dogfrost started to complain, but stopped after a swift glance from the tabby tom that the Foreststar cat must have called Birchstripe. Birchstripe flicked his tail before exiting through the nettles of the den with Dogfrost following him. She briefly looked back and glared at me before disappearing completely out of sight.

Foreststar broke my attention from the nettles. "What is your name, Kittypet?"

I tilted my head. Kittypet? Oh, that was me! These cats were calling me Kittypet.

"My name is Zenopolistic, but everyone calls me Zen for short." I answered. My face was warm with embarrassment. I had always been embarrassed by the long and creative name my mother had given me. She always told me that she preferred my kind of name rather than short, simple names. When my house-folk took me in and I introduced myself to every cat, I called myself by "Grey" because of my pelt. It was much simpler and I didn't know why I didn't tell that as my name to Dreamflower and Foreststar. I guess I had a strange urge to be as truthful as possible.

To my surprise Foreststar and the silent Dreamflower –Maybe she was too afraid to speak after being interrupted two times- didn't laugh or insult me. They just listened, so I continued.

"I don't really know how I got here. I got into this cage and then my house-folk loaded me into their vehicle and everything was going fine. Somehow I got onto the ground and I couldn't move or speak. That's when I saw her and then passed out." I nodded towards Dreamflower when I mentioned seeing her.

"When I was foraging for herbs I saw you and the dead monster. I brought you back here and tended to your wounds. Luckily they weren't grave. You'll just be sore for awhile." Dreamflower said. A look of pride gleamed through her eyes as she looked at Foreststar. Was it just me or was there a loving look in them? Before I could get a good look, the emotion in her vanished.

"And where is here exactly?" I asked. "I know this is Rowanclan of the forest, but…"

Then a realization crossed my mind. These cats were wild cats - Ruffians. An older cat that lived in the garden next to mine used to tell me stories about them. Supposedly they lived in large groups of any house-folk's garden. They were apparently mean and ferocious too, barely surviving and always at war with one another.

"Wait… This is the forest, the forest. The forest where ruffians like you live!" I felt my eyes widen with disbelief as I looked at Dreamflower and Foreststar more closely. Amused expressions had replaced their serious ones.

"We are the Warrior's of Rowanclan. We live together, fight together, and hunt together to survive here in the wild. Our clan believes in our warrior ancestors, deceased cats that have gone to live among the stars as Celestialclan. They guide us through the code that they set to us many generations ago." Foreststar explained. His voice was calm as if he had told thousands of cats like me the same thing. I got the feeling that wasn't true though. "I am Foreststar, the leader of Rowanclan."

I nodded, finally understanding a bit more. "And to you, I am a kittypet and my house-folk are twolegs?" My tail flicked with slight annoyance at the odd names.

Dreamflower nodded. "Your home is probably nowhere near here and your twolegs were taken away. Some Warriors on patrol stuck around to see a big white monster accompanied by a crowd of black, red, and blue ones lift your twolegs into its belly." My eyes narrowed as I listened to her. I couldn't believe it. Who would take them away? "Two days ago, the day I brought you to camp, Foreststar and I talked. You seem to have nowhere to go and you don't seem like the type to survive in the wild." Dreamflower looked down at her paws as she spoke.

"You're inviting me to stay with you?" I meowed. I, Zen, did not ever imagine I would end up here. How? These cats were ruffians. They did not live in the luxury of house-folk or eat the same food I ate. They didn't understand the loyalty I had to my last life.

Another instinct replaced that though. I liked to believe I was one of the toughest cats in the world and these cats were slowly diminishing my high ego. I suddenly felt like I had to prove myself. And hey; there was nowhere else I could go just like Dreamflower had said. These 'Rowanclan Warriors' would have no need for a cat who couldn't feed them self. It was obvious I would have to learn to hunt and fight. I instantly reassured myself that I would be fine if I worked hard. Maybe my house-folk would eventually find me too.

"I suppose I'll stay and learn your ways." I decided without much of a choice. I wondered if it was really that easy. What if it wasn't and I was getting into something bigger than I thought? I quickly dismissed all negative thoughts. They would only set me back.

"Very well," Foreststar meowed. I got the feeling that he was a bit impressed. "I will allow you to be an apprentice of Rowanclan. Follow me out and we can announce this to the clan. All new apprentices need ceremonies."

Excitement and fear coursed through me as I managed to get myself up onto all fours. My paws ached, but I didn't care anymore. Something big that I would have never imagined was happening.

I followed Foreststar through the nettles and out of the den with Dreamflower following me. I gasped at what I saw when I got through. There was a clearing surrounded by bramble and bracken walls. Cats lied around, grooming and gossiping with one another. A large pile of prey stood in the middle. Dreamflower's den was in the back of the camp inside the wall almost, squished in between two bigger clumps of bracken. On the other side of the clearing was a big tree, its roots giving way to another den. On the left side of the camp was a big rock slab with moss hanging down from the side. A smaller rock next to it was reinforced by ferns and brambles to make it bigger. The right side of the camp made way to open space for more cats to roam.

My white and light grey fur prickled. I could feel the other cat's turn to stare at me and let their eyes bore into my pelt. I dared myself to look around. Every cat's expression was either full of shock or suspicion. What did they have against me? My thoughts turned to the she-cat, Dogfrost. What if they were all like her?

My paws continued to pad forward as I followed Foreststar and Dreamflower. We stopped at the foot of the large tree den. Foreststar leapt up onto the trunk of the tree and swiftly climbed up onto the top of a tall and open branch. Cats began to gather around, many of them not going more than a tail-length close to me.

"Cats of Rowanclan," Foreststar yowled out to the cats below him. His suddenly loud voice made me wince at first. "I call a meeting to bear news about the newcomer. She will become an apprentice of our clan."

Many hisses and yowls of protest sounded throughout the crowd. All of the cats whipped their head around to look at me with disbelief. I shrunk lower to the ground, my fur rising defensively. I was ready to fight if I had to.

"Why can't she go back to her twolegs and continue on with her soft kittypet life?" I turned around to see that pale orange she-cat had spoken up.

"Her twolegs have brought her far from her nest and there is no way she can go back." Dreamflower called out from the base of the tree. Her gold eyes gleamed, challenging her clan-mates.

"Why can't we drive her out of our territory? She'll eat all of our freshkill and hurt my mate's kits." Another cat from behind yowled.

I slunk down lower, noticing that Birchstripe and Dogfrost were coming into the camp A few more cats followed from behind them. One dark grey tabby tom caught my eye. Time seemed to stop when our gazes met and locked. I couldn't understand why, but my heart began to thump against my chest. His sky blue eyes bored into my own with curiosity.

Shaking my head, I heard Dogfrost speak.

"She doesn't have clan cat blood. She doesn't deserve to live us." Many cats parted away for the dark brown she-cat to walk over to me. Her fur was bristling and her ears were lying flat on her head. "I'll show her our power and run her out of our camp." Dogfrost spat, her eyes glimmering with hate.

I looked up at where Foreststar was sitting. All he did was look down at me and Dogfrost calmly. Why didn't he stop this insane warrior? There were so many new questions and too many unanswered.

Dogfrost leapt closer to me, making me back up with surprise. Tail thrashing, she lifted one unsheathed paw up and brought it down hard on my shoulder. The power made me fall to the ground. "Is that all you have, softy? Are you going to give up like you should, kittypet?" Dogfrost cooed. She grinned at me, flashing her yellow teeth while giving me time to get up.

"No." I growled simply.

I shook the dust from my fur and charged at her. Dogfrost dodged to the side, letting me barrel into three squealing kits. They were brought away from me with the sweep of their mother's tail.

I cursed myself silently, whipping around to face Dogfrost once more. I wouldn't give up so easily. I pretended to charge at her again. As she dodged to one side, I swiftly followed her. Rearing up, I batted my two unsheathed claws at her. I felt them dig into her thick brown fur.

"I was going easy on you," Dogfrost hissed, bringing her paws up at me and wrapping them around my shoulders. "But now I won't!" At her yowl, she pushed down on one of my sides and brought me down onto my back. I flailed around, trying my best to block her persistent blows to my underside and face. Blood pooled down on my muzzle as she managed to claw me on the cheek. Short bursts of happy sounding yowls told me that Dogfrost was enjoying herself.

I felt helpless now. My fur was ripping up into her claws. Each time I tried to get back up, she pushed me back down.

Squinting and trying to avoid being hit, I noticed the sky dimming slightly. Shadows became longer and crept further away from their casters. Out of the corner of my eyes I could see the clan cats becoming weary from the change of light. Most of them began backing away from the fight.

"Dogfrost, stop it!" A tom's voice yowled into the evening air.

I felt some-cat lift Dogfrost off of me. I turned my head in time to see her land hard onto the ground, crumpled up next to me. When I looked up, my gold eyes looked into worried sky blue ones. My heart skipped a beat as I recognized the cat above me. It was the dark grey one that I had been looking at earlier.

Dogfrost got up from next to me and angrily spat at him. He protectively stood over me, hissing back. The two warriors seemed to silently fight. Eventually Dogfrost gave up and backed away. The grey tom remained next to me and looked up at Foreststar.

"This is not of Celestialclan's will!" He yowled loudly so everyone could hear. "It's obvious that our ancestors don't approve of Dogfrost's and the kittypet's fight! It's not fair! The kittypet can learn our ways if we are willing to teach her. Foreststar would never think of allowing her to stay if she wasn't capable of it."

I gapped at the tom with surprise. Why was he doing this? He was challenging the entire clan by challenging Foreststar. The two toms looked at each other in silence, gazes held and expressions calm.

"Look there's a star!" I heard a cat murmur, but their voice seemed to be loud due to everything being so quiet.

"Earthtruth is watching." The dark grey tom over me spoke up to Foreststar. His voice had become quiet, almost a whisper. My brain was pounding. The murmurs of the crowd grew louder as the sky considerably lightened up.

Foreststar blinked slowly down at me and the tom. It appeared he was thinking carefully over something before completely deciding. As the clan leader did so, I managed to get up, angry at my own weakness and a little at the tom that helped me.

Foreststar finally began to speak. "From this day forward, until she has earned her warrior name, this past kittypet, Zenopolistic, will now be an apprentice of our clan. She will be known as Zenpaw, to remind her and everyone who knows her name, that she has kittypet blood." More anger welled into me as Foreststar continued; his green eyes beamed down on his warriors and other clan mates. Sorrow pooled into them as they landed on me. "Zenpaw will share mentors with the rest of the apprentices. That is if those mentors wish to train her." With that, Foreststar leapt down from his perch and disappeared under the den beneath the tree. Dreamflower followed closely behind him.

The dark grey tom looked down at me one last time before padding back into the crowd where he disappeared. I desperately wanted to call out to him. I didn't care what I would say to him, I just wanted to say something. But it was too late and I figured I would eventually see him again.

As the crowd dwindled away and a few cats ridiculed me as they walked past, two cats around my size came over to me. I was irked by their arrival, wondering if they were only coming over to mock me.

"We can show you to our den." One of the cat's spoke. His fur was dark blue, his eyes a matching color.

"Yeah, were going to be den mates. Well, I often sleep Dreamflower's den since I'm her apprentice." The second cat, a pale grey she-cat with orange eyes added. "How rude of us too! This is my brother Bluepaw," Her tail flicked towards the blue tom. "And I'm Skypaw."

I nodded; a bit surprised they were being so friendly. "And everyone knows that my name is Zenpaw – To remind everyone I will always be the kittypet I am."

Bluepaw chuckled. He must have confused my words as a joke. "Come on, follow us." He meowed, picking up the pace towards the big flat stone near the side of the camp. We padded past it, stopping at the smaller rock next to it. Being closer, I noticed that the two rocks almost looked like one with all of the hanging moss covering them.

I followed the two young cats into den. The inside was dark, light coming out from a few holes in the back where tree roots were creeping in. Moss nests lay near the sides of the den, all of them empty. A few old bones sat around between each nest.

"Behold the apprentices den; home sweet home!" Skypaw meowed, purring with amusement. "Sorry about the mess, it's probably all Bluepaw." She cuffed the tom's ear playfully.

"No," Bluepaw argued. "It's Owlpaw and Russetpaw. I'm the cleanest one here."

"Owlpaw and Russetpaw?" I asked. "How many apprentices are there in Rowanclan?"

"There our only other den mates except for Creampaw," Bluepaw replied. "And they're as prickly as a hedgehog if you ask me."

"Russetpaw wasn't that mean until she started mooning over Owlpaw." Skypaw remarked, a mischievous look crossing her face.

Bluepaw's whiskers twitched uncomfortably. "Ok! How about we go get some bedding for your nest and figure out your schedule for tomorrow?"

"Zenpaw can have my nest for now and I'm sure Swiftstorm will allow her to train with you tomorrow. Remember, it's your first day too."

Bluepaw flicked his sister with his tail. "Don't listen to her! She's as evil as Siren!"

I purred with amusement even though I didn't know who or what Siren was. It didn't matter though. Things began to look up despite having most of the clan hate me.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"You'll begin to recognize each of your new clan mate's individual scents after awhile. Same goes for other cats from different clans." The light colored calico tom explained to me and Bluepaw. He had met Bluepaw and me outside of the apprentice's den awhile ago. He had been explaining a few things to me about the clan. His name was Swiftstorm and he was Bluepaw's mentor. According to Skypaw, Swiftstorm happily agreed to give me my first day of training. He was a good tom; easy-going and kind.

"Other clans?" I asked reluctantly. To be honest I was a bit shy in front of the experienced warrior. Plus, Bluepaw had spent the entire night trying to explain everything about life as a clan cat to me, but I had been so tired I didn't pay as much attention as I should have.

"You should know Rowanclan isn't the only clan in the forest." Swiftstorm began rambling off again. Each question I asked made him do so. "There's Cascadeclan, Blazeclan, and Oreclan. You'll see when I give you and Bluepaw the tour of our territory. Bluepaw's already taken it, but he won't mind taking it again."

"Are we going now? I've been waiting forever!" Bluepaw groaned. He had been fidgety all morning. As we each ate a small vole at the break of dawn, he couldn't help but talk about eating prey and hunting. _This is nothing like eating your first caught prey! I remember when Scorchedsky told me as a kit to be careful when sneaking up on your kill and to keep as low and as quiet as possible. Don't breath. Don't speak. Using his advice, I caught my first mouse ever that afternoon!, _His previous words rung through my head.

"I don't blame your enthusiasm," Swiftstorm managed a small, crooked smile. "Let's go." The cream, grey, and white warrior got up from his spot and with the flick of his tail, led us towards the bramble tunnel.

At first I stayed near the back of the group, a bit nervous to be going out into the unpredictable forest for the first time ever. I mean I had technically been out there when Dreamflower carried me back to camp, but I was unconscious then. Bluepaw must have been reading my thoughts because he looked back at me and smiled encouragingly. Blushing lightly, I picked up my pace.

In this new, fresh day, I could see Bluepaw much better. He was a handsome young tom and any she-cat would be lucky to get his attention. I don't know though. He didn't make me feel the way I did when I saw that dark grey tabby tom from yesterday…

I quickly shook my head. I couldn't be thinking about him. Not any tom. Not right now at least. I instead brought my attention back to my surroundings and what was going on around me.

Bright sunlight pooled into the open forest. The underbrush wasn't that thick around the outside of camp. New buds and fresh leaves were growing on every single body of plant life. All of my senses picked up a variety of sounds, smells, feelings, and sights. I could even _taste _the fresh air. The neighborhood couldn't even compare to the forest. Unlike the neighborhood, everything out here was more vibrant and different – from every tree to every small body of water.

"It's newleaf in the forest, as Bluepaw, I, and every other cat out here would know." Swiftstorm didn't sound mean about the fact at all. I was grateful for that.

"Where I come from, we call newleaf, spring." I couldn't help but remark back. I repeated the word newleaf a few times in my head so I could get it right.

"I see. Anyways, by at least the end of greenleaf, the next season, you two should be respectable warriors. Bluepaw probably becoming one a bit earlier than you, Zenpaw." Swiftstorm still sounded nice and I was thankful that he was setting a slow pace. I know he was doing this so I could take everything in far easier. How considerate. "Oh, and after greenleaf, there is leaffall and then leafbare." I repeated these words in my head as well. _Greenleaf must mean summer, leaffall must mean autumn, and Leafbare must mean winter._

"When will we practice our fighting moves? I want to learn a difficult one so I can show Skypaw. She was teasing me the other day." Bluepaw meowed after a good few heartbeats of silence. I could tell he was trying to sound more casual than whiney. His thin tail swished from side to side, brushing across the leaves of several bushes noisily.

"Hmm," Swiftstorm casted a quick glance at me. I couldn't help but lower my head out of self-consciousness. "Later; when I'm done showing you two around the territory." He paused. Bluepaw's tail swishing seemed to grow louder in the silence. "And don't be too loud, Bluepaw – That goes for you too, Zenpaw. We don't want you apprentices scaring every single morsel of prey out of our territory." The older tom's blue eyes gleamed teasingly. "We can't afford the other clans to eat our share."

Bluepaw glared at Swiftstorm, but it was obvious he was giving his mentor's caution a hard time. "Thank Celestialclan we got an early start. I saw Owlpaw and Russetpaw come out of the apprentices den when we were leaving camp. Hopefully we'll get the mossy surrounding all to ourselves - that is if we go there today."

I bit my tongue from asking about the mossy clearing. Looking back at Bluepaw's context of the words, I could take the hint that he was talking about some sort of training place. I shrugged the thought off and distracted myself by exercising my senses. An approaching sound immediately caught my ears. It was somewhat loud and rushing like. "I think I hear something new. Water maybe?" I muttered, loud enough for Swiftstorm and Bluepaw to hear.

"Good job, Zenpaw. That's the river. It's our border with Blazeclan. Further upstream it turns into a lake. We believe all of the water in the lake comes from within Oreclan's mountain, and comes up from beneath the ground where it turns into the lake. The extra water that doesn't add onto Cascadeclan's fens flows down the river to who knows where. It probably tastes amazing compared to your twoleg's water." Swiftstorm remarked. He turned his direction so we were heading towards where the noise was coming from. And even though his tone was completely friendly, I was still irked by the word twoleg.

Soon the three of us came to a strip of where the trees and underbrush wasn't too thick. I looked down to the left to see the river heading the same direction we were traveling in. Staring into the depths, I analyzed it closely. It was a wide body of water, getting rather deep in the middle. The bottom of it was covered in small stones and I noticed that the ground beneath my paws was made of the same terrain.

We continued to follow the river. The bank eventually grew taller and the river became shallower as we continued on. A small clearing at the river bank gave the clear sight of a brown thing going over the water. It arched up, bringing its way down into a clump of thinner trees across the river. I could make out a long, open meadow from beyond the trees. Distant reddish purple clumps of flowers that seemed to almost resemble fire explained why those cats called their clan Blazeclan.

"This is the bridge. Don't cross it unless absolutely necessary." Swiftstorm's words became distant to me as we approached the brown thing going over the water – The bridge. It was made of thick wood and had probably seen better days. Holes dotted its bottom and the wood had begun to splinter. Beneath it, the water was deeper and mucky brown in color.

I peered down closer into the water, watching my mucky brown reflection look back at me. After giggling a bit at my reflection, the ugliest face that I have ever seen suddenly broke through the water from where I was staring into. Mucky water droplets sprayed into my face as it slowly came up further. Stopping, it opened up its gaping maw revealed it's hideously formed tongue. Its leathery skinned "beak" was covered in a multitude of blotches and scars.

When I came out of shock heartbeats later, I stumbled back, yowling loudly at the same time. I could feel my light grey fur was fluffed up and my gold eyes were wide. To other cats, I probably looked silly and this was proved when I heard Bluepaw yowling loudly into the sky.

Swiftstorm's words came back to life after a few heartbeats of breathing heavily and coming out of shock. "A snapping turtle the elders of long ago named Grandfather, lives under that bridge with his children and mate. As far as we know, he's been there since Earthtruth was born. Daring apprentices often go missing around here, probably swallowed whole by his cavernous jaw. You're lucky he didn't try to propel himself out of the water more and get you."

I heard Bluepaw yowls suddenly become smaller, disbelieving sounding purrs. But the snapping turtle story was eerie enough for me to back away from the river bank even more. I could hear the two toms continue to purr in amusement upon noticing my actions. I thought I was beginning to like the two of them, too! But, I quickly stopped my negative thoughts. The snapping turtle popping out of the water would never happen to me again if I managed to stay away from the bridge…

"The light rocks are further upstream, closer to Cascadeclan territory. We'll head back up to them since they're the pride and joy of Rowanclan. We are always feuding over them with Cascadeclan so be careful if you find yourself there and a big Cascadeclan border patrol nearby. Those pieces of crow-food won't think twice before trying to take it over from two apprentices like you." Swiftstorm continued to explain as if the snapping turtle accident never happened. "Oh, and before we go, get a good whiff. You'll be able to smell what Blazeclan cat smells like. "

I lifted my chin towards the bridge and took in the new smell. It was fragrant, almost like what the flowers in my house-folk's garden smelled like. It would have smelled like home if it weren't for the mixed in ashy scent…

Before I knew it we began to back track through the underbrush. We never ventured too far from the river so the smoky, wildflower smell never left my nose. It's different from the… now familiar tree-like scent of Rowanclan. It was as if the clan's scent was growing on me. It made me a tad uncomfortable thinking that I was forgetting about home so quickly. But the feeling wasn't as dreadful as knowing enemy cats that would want to attack us over territory could be watching us closely at any moment.

Like Swiftstorm said, we eventually came across the light rocks further upstream, north of where I remember the camp being. It gave way to a pile of large rocks, breaking the river. Cool water in the form of a waterfall trickled down the rocks and continued on in the form of the river. Shady trees leaned over the area, their leaf covered branches still letting in mottled light. It's the perfect, serene spot. No wonder Cascadeclan and Rowanclan would always be fighting over it.

For the first time all day, I finally felt how thirsty I was. The only thing I had to drink the other night was wet moss in the apprentice's den. I pad closer to the shallow water and crouch down. Opening my tongue, I begin to lap up the refreshing contents. Swiftstorm was right. The water my house-folks gave me doesn't compare to this.

"It's amazing." I manage to say, referring to both the water and serene view. I notice Swiftstorm can't help but grin at Bluepaw and I.

"It's worth fighting for." He replies. His grin grows wider as if he's remembering a great moment in the past – Most likely a victorious battle.

"I cannot wait to enter my first battle over this place. I bet it's amazing!" Bluepaw yowled, beginning to bounce to and fro. He clawed and kicked at the air, ending his performance by biting at a twig on the ground. "Take that, Cascadeclan scum! This'll teach you that your clan could never deserve light rocks!"

Swiftstorm yowled with laughter after his apprentice's performance. "It's not as easy as you would think, Bluepaw." He blinked the tears out of his eyes as he continued. "Sometimes fighting is not the right thing to do. I wish that Foreststar and Streamstar would just talk it over like the first leaders of Rowanclan and Cascadeclan. Apparently when they were leaders, they took turns owning light rocks. Sadly when they died, only a day apart, the new leaders didn't live up to that friendship. Guess it will never be the same, no matter how many times we help each other out. Don't tell anyone this since it might ruin my reputation, but I would support someone trying to make all four clans one."

Bluepaw, Swiftstorm, and I ended up in an awkward silence. We continued to look around at the beautiful scenery, all three of us unsure of what to say any more. Looking closely, I can see that where the river flows out of the lake, the trees and underbrush begin to rapidly thin out. The distance shows more fens and bogs surrounding the lake.

I open up my maw to the air and can scent a new smell. It's fresh and serene. I can make out that the scent is mainly that of water, rain, and mud.

"We're right on the border of us and Cascadeclan, huh?" I ask, breaking the silence. It's a bit obvious to what the answer is.

"Indeed… That means we can head to the moss surrounding then, right Swiftstorm? There's not much else to see except for the cotton tree and I can show it to Zenpaw when we have to get the elders their bedding at some point." Bluepaw meowed back. He looked up at his mentor with his pleading grayish blue eyes.

"We best be heading back to camp soon. It's almost evening and I promised Fenclaw that I would be back for the evening patrol." Swiftstorm's whiskers twitched as he spoke. He turned around so that we would be heading away from the river and further into Rowanclan territory, towards the camp. With the flick of his tail, we got up and followed him. As we began to trot through the forest, he began speaking to us again. "Time seemed to pass quickly today, but I guess our territory is pretty big and I did go slower than usual."

"Way slower." I barely hear Bluepaw mumble. I begin to feel as if I was a nuisance, but Swiftstorm could have gone faster if he wanted to.

I followed closely next to the older tom as we slowly make our way through the forest. I can see he takes my hint and begins to trot faster than before. My nose still waters at all of the new exciting scents of the territory. It is funny how there seems to be more here than in my house-folk's neighborhood. I close my eyes to try to individualize each different sent as I follow Swiftstorm and Bluepaw. I remember what Swiftstorm said about each of my clan mates having a different scent and I begin to see what he means.

After awhile I manage to separate one alluring scent out of the rest. For some reason it makes my paws tingle with anticipation. I open my eyes and stop in my tracks, picking it up even more.

"Do you smell that too?" Bluepaw whispers to me. I nod, believing he has scented the same thing. He stopped in his tracks a little ahead and begins to taste the air. I copy Bluepaw and pinpoint that it is coming from the left, on a passing breeze. "Swiftstorm, there's a robin nearby. Zenpaw and I can smell it."

"It's to the left." I happily add my find to Swiftstorm. I make sure to whisper when I speak; like Bluepaw.

"Good job, you two. Do you want to make the catch, Zenpaw?" Swiftstorm meows quietly, winking at me as he said my name. Bluepaw's mouth opened up slightly as he looked from Swiftstorm to me.

"I agree." Bluepaw manages to say. He sounds more excited for me than jealous.

"Me?" I ask quickly, jaw dropping. I begin to feel warm and tingly out of nervousness. Thoughts like, "I'll embarrass myself" race through my head. "But I've _never_ caught living prey. I don't even know where to begin or how!" My whispers are now rushed and slightly high pitched.

"Don't worry, you're a cat. It's all out of pure instinct." Bluepaw flicks my side with his tail as he speaks. "You'll do fine."

"Mhmm. Crouch down, see your prey, and when you get close, pounce! Don't forget to unsheathe your claws." Swiftstorm grinned. "Now go. We don't have all day."

I gulped and lowered down into what I believed was a crouch. My tail swished from side to side with anticipation. It took me a moment to realize my body was shaking too.

"Lower your haunches a bit more and keep your tail straight behind you." I hear Swiftstorm critique in a whisper from behind. I did what he said and found myself in a more comfortable position. "Good. You're now in the hunter's crouch."

I wait for the breeze to settle before stalking forward to where the scent had wafted as we spoke. I begin to take deep but quiet breaths to calm myself as I crawl towards where the robin's scent had shifted. Quietly sneaking through some underbrush, my attention was immediately caught by its red belly. The bird was busy pecking at worm, not bothering to look around for any predators. Licking my lips, I continued forward. My heart beat against my chest harder and harder with each step.

Suddenly, the robin whipped its head in my direction. I let out a small yowl of protest as I watched its tiny wings begin to flutter upwards. I lifted my unsheathed paws up and pounced forward as quickly as I could. My claw's met its back and I watched in slow motion as it fell back onto the forest floor. I landed back onto the forest floor with a small thud. Breathing heavily, I spun around to see it was dead.

Bluepaw and Swiftstorm came up to me after going through the underbrush, their pelts almost brushing against mine. I beamed at them excitedly, picking up my first ever caught prey. Small droplets of bird blood welled into my mouth, putting my taste buds into a delightful frenzy. Pride welled up inside me and for once, I felt truly powerful.

"Nice catch." Bluepaw purred happily. Swiftstorm nodded in agreement, looking at me with the kind of pride a father would feel for his kit.

Swiftstorm eventually begins to speak again. "We can practice at the mossy surrounding bright and early tomorrow. There we can work on perfecting your fighting moves. Maybe we can make it a meet for all of the apprentices"

"Seriously?" Bluepaw half groans, half yowls with excitement. I guess he's probably a bit disappointed about Owlpaw and Russetpaw probably being there with us. I'm not that excited either for they seemed like Dogfrost with their attitude problem against me. "Can Zenpaw and I hunt on our way back? I can already tell she's going to be a very skilled hunter!"

I couldn't help but look down at my paws as Bluepaw said that. "I'm not that great… The robin was my first catch and I almost lost it!"

"Don't be modest. It may have been your first, but I saw that you reacted quickly when it began to get away. I'll have to mention that to Foreststar." Swiftstorm meows. "And I'll allow you two to hunt on your way back. I'll see you two tomorrow morning. Make sure to be ready early. I don't want to be your alarm."

"Yeah, yeah," Bluepaw purred with amusement. A sly expression covered his face. "Have a fun time on your patrol with Fenclaw!"

I politely nod goodbye, watching Swiftstorm shake his head at Bluepaw before disappearing into the bushes. "Good hunting!" I hear him call out to us. After that, the forest seems to go quiet accept for the occasional chirp of a bird.

Bluepaw and I stood around in silence. I didn't know where to begin, so I started by lifting my maw to the air to take in any scents. I scented another robin, but it's above me, most likely nesting for the night.

"Can I share something with you? Like a secret?" I hear Bluepaw blurt out suddenly. I instantly whip around to face him.

"Huh?" I'm not sure if I heard him correctly. I'm new to the clan. Why would he trust me with a secret? I don't see why he would want to tell me something like that.

"Can I share something with you?" He repeats. I can tell that he looks a bit nervous and reluctant the way he's looking down at his paws.

"Sure, I guess. However- Never mind."

"There aren't exactly four clans in the forest. Well there is but-"

"What do you mean? From what Swiftstorm explained earlier there are only Rowanclan, Cascadeclan, Blazeclan, and Oreclan. How could there be another clan without a warrior like Swiftstorm knowing?" The familiar feeling of confusion overcomes me.

"Yeah, but there is also what my friends and I call 'Bridgeclan'," I look more closely at Bluepaw. He's kneading his quivering paws into the earth below.

"Bridgeclan?" I wracked my brain for anything that will make sense of this. The only thing that came to me was the grandfather turtle bridge that we visited earlier. "Don't tell me you and few more cats have made a pretend clan at the bridge." I see Bluepaw's head lower even more. "Really?" He pauses and then nods. Maybe he was thinking of saying, 'I'm just pulling your tail, Zenpaw' and continued on without telling any cat about its secret existence.

But then again he could be pulling my tail; getting me into trouble. I quickly doubt that though. "I was thinking I could trust you about it. Skypaw knows, but she never brings it up. We all meet every once in awhile. Mainly every half moon at midnight; when the med-cats go to the Mooncave and everyone's sleeping. The half-moon isn't that far away if you really think about it. You seem like a very nice cat so I was thinking of inviting you…"

I nod, wondering how bad it is. It can't be, with Bluepaw getting in on it. "Should I even put my paws in such things, though? I mean, I'm an outsider. "Once a kittypet always a kittypet"" I quote another cat's words. They had said it as they walked past me after my ceremony, right before Bluepaw and Skypaw approached me.

Bluepaw sighed. "We'd probably get in more trouble than you if we were found out."

"I can tell I'd be more ridiculed than you if I was found out breaking clan rules. Didn't Swiftstorm say that the first rule in the warrior code is that 'Defend your clan with your life. You may have friendships with cats from other clans, but your loyalty must remain to your clan, as you may meet them one day in battle." My mouth tastes dry as I speak and I can't explain why my eyes begin to feel watery. I suddenly can't stop thinking of my house-folk now. "But… You and Skypaw are my only friends. I don't want to let any of you down."

"No, it's understandable. You don't have to go." Bluepaw mutters. "I trust you won't say-"

"I'll go; just once when the time comes." I interrupt him quickly. "Let's hunt and get back to camp. The shadows are getting bigger and I personally don't want to be out of camp after night time falls."

Bluepaw nods. His face has lightened up considerably and he seems to have gone back to his cheerful, excited self. "I can do most of the hunting since you're new if you want."

"Are you calling me bad at hunting?" Now that we bring up hunting, I can feel my paws itching with anticipation. "I can't be that bad." Sniffing the air for any scents, I instantly find one and get into the hunter's crouch. _Lower your haunches more and keep your tail straighter, _I remember Swiftstorm's instructions and follow. "Let's hurry, though. Celestialclan knows what's out here after dark." I say before moving forward.

"Badgers, foxes, hunting dogs, snapping turtles-" Bluepaw goes on, his voice quiet but happy. I instantly cut him off with a playful hiss. Though, soon he's back to talking. "I like that you're using the word, Celestialclan. Now you just have to learn to call twolegs, twolegs." Amazingly I don't find myself getting offended by the word twoleg this time around. Maybe it's just the way Bluepaw says it.

Before the evening is over, Bluepaw and I have caught more than enough prey. I can't help but think something in me has clicked, too. Every time I founs a new morsel of prey to catch, I couldn't help but feel more than happy. The itching in my paws before I bound after it makes me excited. Bluepaw says that's the sign of a skilled hunter.

* * *

**Greetings and salutations, peoples, and thanks for reading chapter 2 of my fanfic! I want to shout out something, too: Please review! I really appreciate it when people do that so I can know if people like it or not. If you flame about something, add what you think I can do to fix the problem or pointers if your a grammar/name/etc. Nazi. If you like the story, then add why. This way I know what to kind of include and take out of the story in the future (even though I basically have this planned from beginning to end...)**

**For good times sakes, I'll even give a review topic for this chapter! What do you think will become of this "Bridgeclan" and who is the mysterious dark grey tabby!? **

**Also, I'll add clan allegiances one of these chapters for those who will want to continue reading XD Romance will come in a few chapters and beware of future drama O.o (Zenpaw: *Facepaw* Me: Huzzah!) Anyways, once again thanks and enjoy! Oh, and don't forget to review :P**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

I woke up this morning feeling more refreshed than ever. My aching legs were growing used to all of the strain and I could swear that my muscles were growing more defined from all of the hunting I'd been doing. Swiftstorm agreed and had been respecting my hunting skills more and more each day. The only thing that I couldn't pull off like the other apprentices was learning new fighting moves. They didn't come to me as easily.

It had been a quarter-moon since Bluepaw told me about Bridgeclan. Waking up this sun-high, my good friend seemed more excited than ever since we both knew that tonight was our meeting there. Of course, the sparkle in his blue eyes didn't last long after Owlpaw muttered, "What's his big deal?", and Russetpaw sniggered along.

"Russetpaw's a mouse-brain. I don't see why she even befriended my brother…" Creampaw had assured Bluepaw, a bit out of character for the usually sweet she-cat. However, it was obvious Owlpaw, her brother, was the mean one. Russetpaw only agreed with him.

Creampaw was also growing more protective over Bluepaw now that I was in the picture. She didn't hate me, she just saw me as a threat. Though, if she really liked Bluepaw, I didn't see why she didn't do anything about it. I only liked Bluepaw as a friend, but for some reason, rumors were going on around the camp about us.

And actually, I'm glad Creampaw's for her own good. It would be awkward to have her tell me off about getting closer to Bluepaw.

Creampaw, Bluepaw, and I eventually left the apprentice's den to go eat together. I picked out an older thrush from the fresh-kill pile and followed Bluepaw and Creampaw behind the stone that made the apprentice's den. I learned quickly that underneath the pine tree behind our den was the usual hang out spot for Rowanclan apprentices.

"Swiftstorm wants Zenpaw and me to change out the elder's nests. I understand he wants time to be with Fenclaw, but why make us do such disgusting tasks?" Bluepaw began as we took our spots under the shady tree. I shrugged at what he said. Personally, I thought it was cool to hang out with the elders even though they didn't like me that much. Plus, who else was going to do the job?

"You're lucky. Birchstripe wants to have one on one battle training today – in the forest, not at the mossy hollow." Creampaw complained back. "I know for a fact that it's more fun hanging out with others when taking on a disgusting job. You two are lucky to work together." She sighed and for a moment I almost felt sorry for her.

I nibbled on my thrush, listening to Creampaw and Bluepaw talk. Looking up from my breakfast, I saw the sleek brown bodies of Owlpaw and Russetpaw come into the pine tree hangout.

"If you don't want Birchstripe as your mentor, then please do hand him over. Scorchedsky's one of the coolest mentors an apprentice can get, but Birchstripe is the best since he's clan deputy." I heard Russetpaw say slyly. Creampaw glared back at her, but it looked funnier on her face than menacing.

"Aww, are you mad, sister? Are you going to go running to Birchstripe with tears streaming down your perfect face? How pitiful." Owlpaw mocked. I could feel Creampaw tense from beside me. How could a brother do that to his own sister? "Lighten up. I'm joking." Owlpaw quickly added afterwards, but the tone of his voice was still slightly mean.

"You better be." Creampaw meowed back to Owlpaw. "You can be so mean at times!" Owlpaw flicked Creampaw's flank teasingly and the two siblings ended up in a playful fight.

"So what are you two love birds supposed to do today? Go "hunting" alone like usual?" Russetpaw meowed, to Bluepaw and I. She waved her tail at us as if she was a terrible mentor accusing her apprentices.

"No. We're going to take care of the elder's tick problem." Bluepaw said confidently. "And for your information, Zenpaw and I are _not _love birds."

"Well, you're as soft as her kittypet heart." I heard Owlpaw mutter under his breath after Creampaw came back over to us and sat down on the other side of Bluepaw. No one spoke for a long time afterwards, so I assumed no one else heard him.

When we were done eating Bluepaw and I parted ways with Creampaw. She looked quite nervous as she followed her mentor, Birchstripe, out of camp. Birchstripe was a highly respected cat in Rowanclan and I felt a twinge of jealously that she got to train under his paws. But, I thought of how awesome and courteous Swiftstorm was. No matter what Russetpaw claimed, Swiftstorm was the best mentor.

The elder's den was a bramble pile on one side of the medicine cat's den. It wasn't the biggest or prettiest den in Rowanclan camp either. However, I assumed that when you got to be an elder's age, you didn't care what your den was like anymore as long as your nest was soft. And Rowanclan's nests were the softest thanks to the old cotton tree.

As we passed by the medicine cat's den, I couldn't help but peak inside. I could see Skypaw carefully arranging a big assortment of leaves and berries. Every once in awhile she would push a few leaves into each of the two piles at the side of her.

"She's sorting herbs into travel mixes. It will take them all day to get to the mooncave and back, and they're not allowed to eat. Those herbs help them get to their destination." Bluepaw explained, noticing I was looking into the den.

"Really? That's strange." Being reminded about the medicine cats leaving, I once again remembered that tonight was our get together with the other Bridgeclan cats. My pelt began to ruffle in anticipation. "Let's quickly get our job over with."

Bluepaw nodded and we both made our way into the elder's den. There was little light inside the den even though there were clear, sunny skies outside. The majority of the floor was covered in cotton and dried leaves. Two cats laid sprawled out on a huge nest, gossiping quietly and listening to one another. A third cat was lying down so still, I would think he was dead if it weren't for his back rising up and down. His breathing was also loud and raspy.

One of the elders, a dusty brownish red tom, whipped his head around to face Bluepaw and me as we walked further towards them. "Finally someone comes to clean out our bedding." He rasped to us, a growl hinted in his tone. "We've been waiting all morning!"

"Yeah, yeah, we'll work quickly so we don't bother you too long." Bluepaw said back. He turned to me, sighing and rolling his eyes. "I swear they grow more impatient and grumpy each day. Don't let them bother you, especially Growlclaw." Bluepaw whispered quietly into my ear, pointing his tail at the brownish red elder who had spoken.

I purred with amusement, getting a strange look from the other livelier elder next to Growlclaw. She was probably a once very beautiful white she-cat with torbie splotches. "How's your friend over there?" I asked her casually, trying to make small talk to appear un-rude. As I spoke, I began to knead the flat cotton and dried leaves towards the exit of the den.

"What's that? Oh, Stormear's just… Well old," The torbie and white elder paused. "And for your information, he's deaf. Don't bother him like Bluepaw does."

"Please, Morningcloud. I just try to get him to speak once in awhile. I know he can too. I heard him as a kit. Ask Skypaw. She witnessed his words too." Bluepaw meowed back.

"He does speak, but only to _special_ cats." Morningcloud, lifted her thin boney tail to Bluepaw's shoulder and flicked it lightly. She was definitely teasing him.

"That means Skypaw and me are _special _cats then."

"Skypaw yes, but I don't know about you." I could see Morningcloud's eyes become clearer and more youthful. Teasing Bluepaw must've brought her back to her glory days.

"Stop talking and get back to work." I heard Growlclaw grunt at us from next to Stormear. I began pulling the bedding harder, flicking Bluepaw's shoulder to get him to do the same.

Bluepaw rolled his eyes at the elderly tom again before following my lead. Luckily, Growlclaw never noticed.

The elder's den soon went quiet accept for the occasional exchange of words between Growlclaw and Morningcloud. Bluepaw's and I's work went faster as we continued on and soon we had fresh bedding in the elder's den thanks to a queen named Fawnleap and her kits. They happily went to the cotton tree and fetched us fresh bedding. The kits were so excited to get out of the camp, too. Also, by the time we were done, the three elders (Well, I don't know about Stormear) were thankful for our hard work and Growlclaw actually lightened up on us.

I and Bluepaw took a quick walk to the light rocks afterwards to wash up and get out of the camp for awhile. On our way back, I managed to catch two voles for the elders (Who were impressed when I brought it back to them). The entire time, Bluepaw and I never discussed our approaching meeting at the bridge. I was very thankful for that.

Back at camp, Bluepaw began attempting to teach me how to belly rake. "You can use it in two ways," He meowed. "When pinned under someone, you can easily rake their belly with your back legs to get control over the fight. However, it's most commonly used in the manner when a cat slides underneath another cat's belly and slices with their claws at the same time. It's very affective."

I nodded, understanding what he was getting at. "You're sounding just like Swiftstorm. Maybe you need an apprentice of your own." I meowed, smiling slyly at him.

"Try it on me." Even though he ignored my comment, Bluepaw smiled back.

Gulping, I backed up from Bluepaw and got a running start. I attempted to slide under him and would have been completely successful if I hadn't paused for a heartbeat before going completely under. I managed to lift my sheathed paws against his stomach before awkwardly sliding out from under him.

"Next time try to go a bit faster" Bluepaw suggested. "If I had been a true enemy cat, I would have kicked you in the neck with my back legs and moved on." He lifted up one big paw, licked it, and brought it up against the ruffled fur on his head.

I felt my shoulders lower slightly. "Ok," I shrugged my doubt of succeeding off. "Should I try again?" I looked him in the eyes with my gold ones, confidence gleaming in them.

"Yeah-"

"Hello, you two. How's it going?" I looked over my shoulder to see Skypaw behind me. Dreamflower stood beside her, herbs draping from either side of her maw.

"Pretty good; I'm trying to teach Zenpaw how to belly rake an opponent." Bluepaw replied quickly to his sister. "Are you two heading to the mooncave now?"

"It's about time we got going." Dreamflower said through her mouthful of herbs, looking up at the pink and yellow sky. "Say good bye quickly now, Skypaw."

Skypaw walked up to her brother and nuzzled him. She licked his ear comfortingly as she pulled away from him, purposefully ruffling the fur on his forehead again. "We'll be back before you know it." They shared a quick glance before Skypaw really turned away for good. I didn't get the chance to read what they were trying to say.

"Be well, Zenpaw." Dreampaw meowed to me. I curtly nodded back to her before she turned away and headed for the bramble tunnel. Skypaw followed close behind her.

Bluepaw looked up at the sky. "Before you know it, it'll be time for us to go too." He muttered quietly to me. I once again nodded, not sure what to say back.

"I think it will be best for me to get some sleep then. Swiftstorm will still want us done with early morning hunting before sunhigh."

"Your right," Bluepaw admitted. "I'll attempt to go to sleep too." We walked side by side into the apprentices den.

"Wake me up when it's time to head out." I curled up in my nest beside Bluepaw, stretching my body out before curling up into a ball. I let my tail rest lightly over my nose.

Bluepaw didn't say anything, but I figured he meant to say, "Yes."

Sleep didn't come easy to me at first. I was too amped up about Bridgeclan. However, when I began to drift off, I instantly fell asleep.

My dreams were full of starlight and soft green glass. Out of the corner of my eyes, I could see a shadowy outline next to me – another cat. I gasped, realizing it was the dark grey tabby. He began turning towards me, but before he could look me in the eyes, I was shaken awake.

The apprentice's den was covered in darkness. I could feel Bluepaw's paw prodding at my back. I turned up to see his excited blue orbs gleaming at me in the shadows.

"It's time." He whispered so quietly, I had to strain my ears to understand what he said.

I silently got up from my nest and looked around. The thin outlines of other bodies lay still in their own nests around us. Their shallow yet lively breathing noises made me feel uneasy. If Bluepaw and I were caught… I couldn't even think about it.

Bluepaw led me out of the apprentice's den and I had no choice but to follow. I almost wanted to yowl at him to stop – that it wasn't worth the risk. The clan would definitely not trust me if they learned I was sneaking out of camp at night. Even with another apprentice with me.

We made our way through the shadows casted by the apprentice's den and towards the pine tree where we were eating that morning. Looking behind me wearily, I could make out two cats keeping guard at the beginning of the bramble tunnel. I recognized one red pelt belonged to the older warrior, Scorchedsky.

I once again wanted to yowl for Bluepaw to stop and allow us to turn back, but it was too late. I squeezed through a tiny opening in the pine needles to follow him and rushed out into the open forest. I could hear Bluepaw chuckle from ahead. I caught sight of his tail disappearing into the shadows. Gulping, I raced after him.

"Were out," He exclaimed louder than I would have liked. Each word that came from his maw made me wince. "Isn't it exciting?"

"Y-yeah," I managed to whisper in reply. I could see concern in Bluepaw's eyes. "I'm just a bit nervous, that's all."

He nodded in understanding. "Let's hurry. Everyone is probably already there."

"Lead the way, Bluepaw." I meowed. Bluepaw began to trot faster through the darkened underbrush.

Looking up as I ran, I could see the glowing half-moon's light trying to penetrate through the forest canopy. Stars glittered around it, brighter than they could ever be. The warm air felt nice through my fur. My fear of the shadows and all thoughts of ferocious predators at every turn diminished.

Eventually my thoughts leaned towards how nice my fur looked. I was beginning to feel self-concious. And what about my glowing eyes? They might be a nuisance to the other cats… And who were the other cats? That was the first time I really thought about them. I was too worried about sneaking out to think about them.

Suddenly, I found myself padding at a slower pace than before. Bluepaw led me through the trees into a small clearing. The sound of the river blasted through my ears. Looking down to my left, I could see its shadowy form cut through the land. Its surface seemed to be flowing slower than the last time I saw it.

Looking ahead, I could see the bridge in the distance. In front of it, I could barely make out other cat's pelts. Getting closer, I could see their eyes glowing from within the shadows. There were seven pairs of eyes.

"Look who decided to finally show up! Bridgeclan has been waiting." I heard a she-cat meow from the group of shadowy cats. I watched as a creamy tan she-cat came padding towards to us. She touched noses with Bluepaw and then turned to me. "And you've even decided to bring a pretty she-cat this time, Bluepaw." Her blue eyes glinted with amusement as she touched noses with me, too. "Is she your sister?"

"Err… No, she is not my sister. This is Zenpaw, a somewhat new apprentice in my clan. And Zenpaw, this is Crescentpaw." Bluepaw meowed. He batted at Crescentpaw's shoulder with one unsheathed paw.

More cats slowly began walking over. There were six other apprentices, and with a quick introduction from Crescentpaw, I learned that we were all apprentices from different clans. Crescentpaw, Pebblepaw, and Foampaw were from Cascadeclan. Steep-paw and Grazingpaw were from Blazeclan.

"Where are the Oreclan cats?" I asked aloud. "Are they not invited to Bridgeclan or something?"

"It's riskier for them to get over here… But, they usually show up by now. Maybe they got caught; maybe they decided not to come." Steep-paw, a dark brown tom explained to me. He was the quiet type, so I was surprised he answered me.

"It's sad that they're not here because Steep-paw and I have some news to share with all of you." Grazingpaw, another Blazeclan cat with smoky grey fur meowed. She leaned up against Steep-paw, lovingly. To me, they seemed to be mates. "Steep-paw and I will become warriors soon."

"Warriors! Without us?" Crescentpaw yowled jealously. She attempted to frown, but she was too giggly to succeed.

"Congratulations you two," Bluepaw meowed casually, but he sounded happy for his friends. "When will your assessment be?"

"In a little less than a quarter-moon," Grazingpaw meowed happily. She leaned closer against Steep-paw. "I wish it would be sooner though." Steep-paw nodded in agreement with her and licked her forehead.

Pebblepaw purred with amusement from beside me. I didn't like the way he was trying to get close to me. "Will you two be able to come like usual?" The grey speckled tom asked.

Grazingpaw and Steep-paw shook their heads. "No," They both said

"Everyone knows it won't be the same without you two." Pebblepaw meowed sadly, looking down at his paws. "You guys were the ones who started Bridgeclan. We should actually be calling you two "Grazingstar" and "Steepstar"."

I noticed Bluepaw and Crescentpaw nod in agreement. The energetic air had seemed to grow depressing. And it took all my willpower not to mutter something that could blow it even more. No one seemed to notice me, but I know Crescentpaw would make a big deal if I did say anything. She seemed to have that "way to happy and loud" personality.

"I'll be right back," I meowed, excusing myself from the group. Everyone stared at me like they demanded an answer why. "I'm feeling a bit crowded. I need to get some fresh air." It was a lame excuse since I was actually outside.

Bluepaw looked at me with those concerned blue eyes of his. "Are you ok?" He asked me quietly, but everyone else around us could hear.

"Don't worry about me. I'll be back soon." I assured him. I decided to continue on with my plan even though none of them seemed to buy my excuse. Their eyes bored into me with unnerving stares.

I took a deep breath and padded away from the group of cats. I could hear them muttering loudly from behind me. "Are you sure she won't run back to your camp and tell on us?" I heard Crescentpaw's familiar voice yowl – again way too loud.

"She won't. If I trust her, you can." I heard Bluepaw reply to her. He muttered another thing, but I couldn't hear.

"I knew she was a kittypet – she's so strange, not talking or anything." I heard Grazingpaw mew. "But I'll trust her by at least a mouse-step if you insist – not to be rude." I heard the group of apprentices break out into laughter.

Of course Bluepaw had to go around telling everyone that I didn't have clan cat blood; of course. It angered me that he could even think of that as an excuse for me. I was being quiet because I never enjoyed the thrill of doing anything secret and not aloud! And plus, Steep-paw was being just as quiet as me…

I huffed into the night air and kept walking. When I couldn't hear their voice anymore, I stopped. I edged myself closer to the river side. The rushing sound of the cool water calmed me. I wish I could jump in and float all the way down to my house-folks nest where there was no worry of a terrible night like this… I began missing the house-folk kit even more now.

"What are you doing out here alone, Zenpaw?" I heard a familiar voice meow from behind me.

Instantly scared out of my mind, I whipped around to see who had spoken. It was him. It was the dark grey tabby that saved me from Dogfrost's claws.

"W-what are-" I felt my back paws loose grip from the ground. My front paws scrambled upwards, claws sheathed out of instinct. But I could feel it was too late to do anything.

I was falling backwards, the shadows pulling me down. Time seemed to turn into slow motion as my gaze caught the color of scared sky blue looking down at me – The dark grey tabby's eyes. A breeze ruffled through my pelt and I felt my back being sprayed by chilly water.

Suddenly, time caught up. I lost sight of the dark grey tom's sky blue eyes as I was completely engulfed in shadow. Light bubbles raced to the surface above me. I was in the river, floating down like I had wished before. This time, I probably wasn't going to my house-folks nest.

I couldn't breathe anymore. I couldn't swim my way up to the top because I didn't even know how to swim. No one taught me or would teach me. Kittypets and forest cats didn't need to know how to swim. Funny, how I found something in common at that moment.

I realized that the snapping turtle would probably catch me as I floated under the bridge. I didn't want to die this way. I wish that Dreamflower never saved me. I could have died peacefully then.

A big splash sounded next to me and I could see more bubbles form in the water around my pelt before blacking out.

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**The End**

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** No, I, The Great Llama, are joking around like usual. But imagine if I wasn't :O Anyways, back to the story.**

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I simply found myself waking up from a bad dream. I didn't want to open my eyes. I wanted to savor this moment of life. I wasn't dead at all.

I could remember everything that happened. Being saved by Dreamflower; Becoming an apprentice of Rowanclan and seeing that grey tabby for the first time; Training with Swiftstorm and Bluepaw; Bridgeclan; Falling into the river… It was all a bad dream. I had to be back in my house-folk's nest.

But like the first time, my dream was crushed. When I opened my eyes I could see Dreamflower, Skypaw, and the dark grey tom sitting around me. I was back in the medicine cat den. However, I felt a small bit of relief flood into me.

"You're awake!" Skypaw meowed happily, her orange eyes wide. She bent over and nuzzled my forehead. "I knew you'd wake up soon. Even though you were a… kittypet, you came out fine! Dogfrost is so mouse-brained."

I craned my neck past Skypaw. "Celestialclan, no; it's him!" I yowled. "He was the one who made me fall into the river." The tone of my voice turned into a growl as I spoke at the dark grey tabby tom.

"What do you mean?" Skypaw meowed, looking at me in confusion. "Nightwhisker saved you. He risked his life by jumping into the river after you!"

"Listen to Zenpaw's story first." Dreamflower meowed calmly to her apprentice. There was a hint of caution in her voice.

"Yeah, thank you Dreamflower. The dark grey tom – Nightwhisker startled me and I lost my footing and fell into the river!" My voice came out rushed and I couldn't stop staring at the tom, Nightwhisker (I can't believe I just found out his name!). He was looking down at his paws like a guilty kit.

"It was on accident." He quietly muttered, almost whispering. I couldn't help but still glare at him.

"Well, each time you-"

"I'm going to tell Bluepaw-" Skypaw began, interrupting. I interrupted her in return.

"Try to save me, you always humiliate me!" I finished angrily at Nightwhisker. I then turned to Skypaw. "What were you saying, Skypaw?"

"That you're awake. I'm going to tell Bluepaw that you're awake." The light grey she-cat looked hurt as she turned away from the conversation and left the den.

Dreamflower sighed. "Take it easy, Zenpaw. We did not tell the rest of the clan anything. Bridgeclan," I instantly felt scared by the word. "Has been put to an end for a very long time. Foreststar believes you and Bluepaw have already been punished enough." The pretty white medicine cat paused. "I will be out collecting more comfrey. After that, I'll come check you out more, Zenpaw. We don't want you getting Whitecough."

I buried my face into my paws. I didn't want anyone to see my tearful face. Eventually I heard Dreamflower go through the nettle opening and leave the den.

"Look, Zenpaw, I'm sorry. If there's anything I can do to make it up," I didn't look up at Nightwhisker as he spoke. His voice was soft and sweet, tempting me to look up, but I couldn't bring myself to. "Then tell me." He finished, pausing like he wanted to say more. It seemed like he couldn't find the words. "I'll see you around camp."

Before Nightwhisker left, I worked up the courage to say something. "Thank you." My voice was muffled by my paws, but I know heard it. I could sense him pausing before completely leaving.

When I eventually looked up, I saw Bluepaw had sat down next to me. He looked just as guilty as Nightwhisker. His thin tail waved from side to side nervously.

"I should have never gotten you into this." I could tell Bluepaw was avoiding mentioning the word Bridgeclan. "Will you be ok to go to the mossy surrounding tomorrow? Swiftstorm wanted to know."

"Tell me why you mentioned I was a kittypet to all of those other apprentices?" My voice was harsh and I think I scarred Bluepaw.

"I didn't tell-"

"I know you did." I watched him look down at his paws. "I know you're my friend Bluepaw, and I know you'll always be a loyal one." I clenched my teeth before continuing. "I'll just forget it happened. Tell Swiftstorm I'll be available to train tomorrow. I don't care if Dreamflower wants me to stay in the den still."

"You're a good cat, Zenpaw." Bluepaw paused awkwardly. "I'll make sure to tell Swiftstorm. Bye, Zenpaw." And with that, Bluepaw left. I could tell he was happy I forgave him.

Skypaw came back later that day and I apologized to her. She understood and hung out with me for the rest of the afternoon. Learning about different herbs from her was actually quite enjoyable and I was able to forget about Bridgeclan for the time being.

Dreamflower got back from herb collecting later that day. Even though she didn't persist on me staying, I slept in the medicine cat's den that night.

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**And chapter 3 is over. I really pushed it to get it done today! No one reviewed like I had hoped, but meh. I cant force anyone to review. **

**Either way, here is a topic for reviewing: Did I surprise you with The End thing? I hope to hear from you on that.**

**Also, I want to thank The Song of The Felines for being my first story follower ever and the first person to favorite Zen's Story :D Thanks!**

**Cya laters!**


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